St. Louis Expansion Bid Splits

Murray Scrambles

Murray Takes Over St. Louis Partnership, But Second Group Emerges

A second St. Louis NFL partnership emerged in dramatic fashion Monday -- the day before the league is expected to award two expansion franchises in Chicago.

NFL officials said both St. Louis ownership groups could make 15-minute presentations today, along with those from Charlotte, N.C., Jacksonville, Fla., Memphis, Tenn., and two competing groups in Baltimore. Spokesman Greg Aiello said the issue would be resolved after a discussion this morning.

The St. Louis effort has been plagued by infighting among the principal investors and, recently, the lack of a lead investor. The bitterness spilled into public view Monday when beer distributor Jerry Clinton stepped down from the original partnership, leaving Philadelphia businessman Fran Murray as its managing general partner -- making him the group's third leader in six weeks.

At the same time, Stan Kroenke, 46, a shopping center developer from Columbia, Mo., worth a reported $500 million, was introduced as the leader of a second group, the Gateway NFL Partnership. He has seven partners, six of them from St. Louis: Stephen Brauer, president of Hunter Engineering Company; Charles Cella, CEO of Southern Real Estate and Financial Company; Sam Fox, CEO of the Harbour Group Ltd.; Fred Kummer, president of HBE Corporation; Charles Knight, CEO of Emerson Electric Company; Andrew Taylor, CEO of Enterprise Rent-A-Car Company; and John Connelly, president of Riverboat Casinos Inc.

Murray, who said he still considers Orthwein a 12 percent partner in his group, expects to make a presentation to league owners today.

Murray said NFL attorneys have told him to be ready for an 8:30 a.m. audience with the NFL expansion and finance committees.

"There is no basis in the world for the league to deny the [first] St. Louis Partnership a franchise," Murray said. "To be honest with you, I don't know what good intentions these [Kroenke] people have."

Murray said he would reveal his financial backers during his presentation. One of them is believed to be Myles Tanenbaum, who is part of Murray's 13-man group seeking to buy the Patriots and move them to Hartford. Murray would not say if any Hartford backers have shifted their support to St. Louis.

"The money," Murray said, "will be more than sufficient."

Murray said he met with Kroenke's representatives Saturday in St. Louis but came to no agreement. Murray, who said he has a 30 percent interest in the first St. Louis Partnership and the corporation that owns the stadium under construction, said he would join the new group only if his 30 percent stake is recognized.

Orthwein's attorney, Walter Metcalfe, said Orthwein holds a vital card in the St. Louis equation. Metcalfe said the Sept. 9 agreement between Orthwein, Murray and Clinton stipulated that two-thirds of the company that controls the lease for the $250 million stadium under construction in St. Louis would revert to Orthwein if Clinton dissolved the partnership.

Murray says the partnership is intact. "Mr. Metcalfe is getting ahead of himself," Murray said. "The bodies aren't buried yet. The structure of the NFL partnership is still in place."

With control of the lease, Orthwein would be in position to negotiate with any group that secures a franchise. People close to Orthwein say that by stepping down, Clinton received a 5 percent share in the corporation that controls the stadium lease.

Metcalfe said Orthwein was still technically aligned with Murray but added, "I don't know how long that will continue. It could change by [today]."

Metcalfe stopped short of publicly criticizing Murray, but he praised the second group, saying, "They are a strong, strong group with the best interests of St. Louis in mind."

Clinton said Monday that he decided to leave Murray's group after talks broke down Saturday with potential investor Robert McNair and, later, Kroenke and his advisers.

Two people who attended the meeting in St. Louis said Kroenke would have joined the original St. Louis Partnership if they had all agreed. Those sources, who asked not to be identified because they didn't want to compromise the confidentiality of the negotiations, said Murray was the only partner who refused to join the new group.

Murray, who did not rule out future litigation, said he never received a specific offer.

Where does all of this leave Hartford? From the beginning, Murray has said Hartford's chances of luring the Patriots are tied to a successful St. Louis bid for an expansion franchise. Murray and Orthwein were among the partners in the St. Louis enterprise. In Murray's favored scenario, St. Louis would get a new team and Orthwein would sell the Patriots to Murray, who would help pay for the team by selling his interest in the St. Louis team.